PHALACROCORVX. 



401 



In a still older hirdWiC chin and throat are white and the fore part of 

 the neck, chest, and breast are largely mixed witli pale whitish brown. 



A fourth exainj)],', which appears to be still older, has the chin and 

 the whole of the throat pure white, while the feathers of the rest of 

 the underparts are dirty white, fringed and centred with dark brown. 



A nearhj adult bird differs from the adult in non-breeding 

 plumage in having the feathers of the neck, breast, and back 

 narrowly margined with whitish brown. 



The above stages of plumage I believe to bo those which are 

 normally gone through by P. brevirostris, but there are a number 

 of differently marked forms in both adult and immature plumage 

 which appear to be abnormal. One example in the British Museum, 

 as already described by Buller, has the underparts nearly pure 

 white, only a few of the feathers being partially or wholly black ; 

 a second has the black and white feathers of the underparts mixed 

 in equal proportions ; a third has only the chest-feathers mixed 

 with white, while in a fourth the plumage is normal, biit there are 

 a few white feathers on the lower part of the abdomen. 



It is quite clear that these variations in plumage are not due to 

 season, sex, or age, and they may be accounted for in two ways — 

 partial albinism, or, possibly, by interbreeding with stray specimens 

 of the Australian P. melanoleucus. It is certain that P. melanoleucus 

 does occasionally wander to ^ew Zealand, for there is an immature 

 specimen obtained there in the Eothschild Museum. I am not 

 aware that any example of P. brevirostris has up to the present 

 time been met with in .\ustralia. 



It seems probable that the two specimens in the British Museum 

 which have been referred by Dr. Sharpe to a distinct species, 

 P. finschi, are merely partial albino varieties of P. brevirostris 

 (cf. Buller, 'Birds of New Zealand,' ed. 2, ii. p. 169). It should, 

 however, be noted that in both specimens the vent and under tail- 

 coverts are white, but in the type one or two black feathers are to 

 be found next the tail. 



Hab. New Zealand and Chatham Islands. 



a. Ad. st. 



b. Ad. sk. 



c. d. Ad. et vix 



ad. sk. [var.]. 

 e. Ad. sk. 

 /. Ad. sk. [var.]. 



g, h. "Vix ad. et 



imm. sk. 

 {, k. luim. sk. 

 I. Ad. sk. 



m-o. Ad. et 2 



imm. sk. 

 p-r. cS 2 s-d- et 



S imm. sk. [var.]. 

 g. Imm. sk. 



VOL. XXVI. 



New Zealand. 

 New Zealand. 

 New Zealand. 



New Zealand. 

 New Zealand. 



New Zealand. 



New Zealand. 

 Taranalii, N. Island, 



New Zealand. 

 Christchurch, S. Island 



New Zealand, Feb. 

 Dunedin, Nov. 



The Bluft; Southland, 

 New Zealand. 



Sir George Grey [P.]. 

 Percy Earl, Esq. [C.]. 

 Colonial Museum, 



AVellington [P.]. 



Antarctic Exped. [P.]. 



Antarctic Exped. [P.], 



(Type of P.Jiiisclti, Shai-jDe.) 



Sir Samuel Scott 



[P.]. 

 Capt. Stokes [P.]. 

 Piu:chased. 



, Baron A. von Hiigel 



Baron A. von Hiigel 



[P.]. 

 Baron A. von Hiigel 



[P.]. 

 2d 



